OBJECTIVE: Refinement and preparation for clinical use of retrograde pancreatic venography, a method for bettering the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Preliminary studies in animals and man have shown that retrograde pancreatic venography is technically feasible, using transhepatic catheterization of the portal circulation. Proposed animal research will be directed to needed technical refinements and an evaluation of safety. The value of techniques decreasing pancreatic arterial blood flow during the venographic injection of contrast medium and in particular, the use of vasoconstrictors and/ or temporary aortic ballon obstruction, will be explored as technical refinements. The safety of pancreatic venography will be evaluated, including the potential risk of induced pancreatitis. Human autopsy and surgical specimens will be studied for a delineation of the normal and pathologic anatomy of the pancreatic venous systen, a prerequisite to future clinical use of retrograde pancreatic venography.